Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 4, 2024

May 4th is now informally known as “Star Wars Day”, because of a silly play on words: “May The Fourth Be With You.”

May 4th 1943 – A patent for helicopter controls was obtained by Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky invented fixed-winged and multi-engined aircraft, transoceanic flying boats, and most famously, helicopters.

On May 4, 1415, Christian reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance. The death of Hus inspired the later Hussite revolution in Bohemia.

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Today we present a guest article on the silver markets by Hubert Moolman, selected by JWR.

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We are in need of entries for Round 112 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 112 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Silver And The Coming Monetary Reform, by Hubert Moolman

The analysis of two similar economic cycles over the last century reveals some interesting facts about silver and how it relates to the coming monetary system collapse and reset

Below, is a long-term silver chart showing how silver performed in these similar and specific cycles:

Both cycles start at major gold/silver ratio bottoms in 1919 and 1979 respectively. Very early in the cycles, there was a major interest rate peak (1920 and 1981). The major interest rate peak signals or confirms that conditions are likely to be favourable to debt-based assets for a long time, and unfavourable to gold and silver.

Towards the middle of the cycle the Dow/gold ratio peaked, and this signalled that the downtrend for real assets (like gold and silver) is soon coming to an end, and a long-term uptrend can be expected in real and nominal terms.

In both cases silver made an extreme bottom at point 1 (1932 and 2001), after the Dow/gold ratio peaked.

From this silver bottom in 1932, silver had a long major bull market that ended in early 1980. In the same way we are now in a long major silver bull market that started in 2001, and that could end around a major interest rate peak.

Currently in this cycle, we are just a few years past the important point, which is the major interest rate bottom that came in March of 2020. The similar point in the previous cycle came approximately in 1941, when yearly interest rates on US Treasuries bottomed.

This is the critical point in the cycle. From this point debt and debt-based assets get destroyed while silver prices see some real stellar increases. This point cannot be stressed enough, since debt or credit is what this current world is built on.

The importance of this turning point will be highlighted and confirmed when the collapse and reset of the world monetary system occur. I have recently written about this at my Monetary Reset blog.

Due to the massive debts, the world monetary system is in a very vulnerable state. In order to prepare for what could soon come over the world it is important to understand the critical themes at play.

Below, is a chart that I discuss in detail at the Monetary Reset blog:

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Editor’s Closing Note:  Hubert Moolman is an economist and precious metals investing specialist who lives in South Africa. He has written several guest articles that have been posted in SurvivalBlog since 2019. He publishes a Premium Service newsletter as well as a Silver Long-term Fractal Analysis Report that provides more insight regarding the gold and silver markets.

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had a very busy week, traveling and packing Elk Creek Company pre-1899 antique gun orders, and adding guns to our online listings. There have been a lot more orders than usual, following the announcement of the May 20th effective date of the ATF’s new “Engaged in the Business” rule.  That will effectively mean the end of firearms purchasing privacy in the United States, except for pre-1899 antique guns, 80% receiver builds, and a few antique replicas.

Early in the week, I traveled out of state to meet on-site with a consulting client at his retreat. That was fun and interesting. But it was also exhausting since it was an 8-hour drive, in both directions.

I re-attached a man door on our barn, that our senior bull had knocked down. A bull can be quite powerful and, well, “bull-headed.” I am amazed at how much damage a bull can do to ranch infrastructure when it simply wants to get somewhere, or even just out of boredom.

And on Thursday and Friday, I took a 10-hour round trip to a gun show. There, I found just a couple of antique guns for my inventory. They are selling more quickly than I can replace them!

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.

The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.” – Proverbs 13:1-9 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 3, 2024

On May 3, 2016, a wildfire forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alberta—the capital of Canada’s tar sand industry—and the surrounding area; ultimately, more than 80,000 people fled the blaze, which caused billions of dollars in losses.

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May 3rd, 1952 was the birthday of Pastor Chuck Baldwin. He has done yeoman service in promoting the American Redoubt movement.

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With gardening and home canning season approaching, I’d like to remind readers about Harvest Guard. They make reusable regular and wide-mouth canning lids. Every serious preparedness-minded family that does home canning should buy several sets of their lids! Take note that Harvest Guard has been a generous SurvivalBlog writing contest prize donor for many years. They deserve your business.

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Today’s feature article was written by SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor: James Wesley, Rawles (JWR).

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We are in great need of entries for Round 112 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 112 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Societal Change: The Wide-Open Throttle

I’ll try to keep this essay quite short, so that it won’t turn into a lengthy rant.

American society has been decadent for many years.  This trend began gradually but it accelerated in the late 1960s. The pace of change increased again in the year 2000, with the 9/11 terror attacks and then the immediate launch of the so-called War On Terror (WOT).  Just how a nation can declare war on a noun still baffles me.

Societal decadence accelerated again with the supposed election of Joe Biden.  The Bidenistas have pushed America’s rate of societal change to a Wide Open Throttle (WOT) position. Biden’s administration — better termed a regime — is essentially a third term for B.H. Obama and his entire agenda. It is obvious that Obama and his cronies are pulling some strings of the Joe Biden marionette. Susan Rice is Obama’s key intermediary in the Biden White House.

In the past three years under Biden Bin Obama, we’ve seen a gross expansion of government power, open borders, politically-motivated federal prosecutions, absurd levels of Federal spending and growth of the National Debt, and an insane increase in “woke” nonsense, including: ultra-liberal mass media, ultra-liberal schools, the normalization of homosexuality, cross-dressing “story hours”, transgender surgery pushed on minors, men dominating women’s sports, men entering women’s restrooms and locker rooms, men demanding to be housed in women’s prisons, forced use of contrived pronouns, and much more.

A fairly full litany of the ongoing decadence and destruction is described in this succinct video post on X/Twitter by “Western Lensman”: A Warning to America: 25 Ways the US is Being Destroyed.
Continue reading“Societal Change: The Wide-Open Throttle”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the crash in lab-grown diamond prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

The NYSE stock market is slumping, and the crypto markets seem uncertain.  But gold and silver are still looking quite bullish. These were the opening numbers for the spot markets on Wednesday:

  • Gold
    $2,318.10
  • Silver
    $26.74
  • Platinum
    $974.50

I must reiterate that platinum is looking undervalued. I consider it a strong “buy.” – JWR

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At Gold-Eagle.com: Could the Shift of Gold West to East Set the Stage for a New Gold-Backed Currency?

Economy & Finance:

Republic First Bank Seized By Regulators—First Bank Collapse Of 2024.

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File this one under “Suicidal Tendencies”: California assembly advances universal healthcare in bill that could double taxes.

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Reader D.S.V. sent this: Hertz loses another $200 million from its EVs.

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Gavin Newsom Admits: California Still Faces Blackouts.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 2, 2024

On May 2, 1780, William Herschel discovered the first binary star, Xi Ursae Majoris.

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On May 2nd, 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France at a cost of four cents per acre for 828,000 square miles (2,144,520 square km), which soon proved to be a tremendous bargain.

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On May 2, 1945, the Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria.

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On May 2nd, 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced that high-accuarcy GPS would be made available to the public; the satellite signals had previously been degraded for nonmilitary use.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 112 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 112 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Unification Of CBDCs? The End Of The Dollar System Is Near, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Introductory Note:  This article was originally published at the Birch Gold Group website and is reposted with permission.  Pictured above is the headquarters building of the Bank For International Settlements (BIS), in Basel, Switzerland.

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World reserve status allows for amazing latitude in terms of monetary policy. The Federal Reserve understands that there is constant demand for dollars overseas as a means to more easily import and export goods. The dollar’s petro-status also makes it essential for trading oil globally. This means that the central bank of the US has been able to create fiat currency from thin air to a far higher degree than any other central bank on the planet while avoiding the immediate effects of hyperinflation.

Much of that cash as well as dollar-denominated debt (physical and digital) ends up in the coffers of foreign central banks, international banks and investment firms where it is held as a hedge or used to adjust the exchange rates of other currencies for trade advantage. As much as one-half of the value of all U.S. currency is estimated to be circulating abroad.

World reserve status along with various debt instruments allowed the US government and the Fed to create tens of trillions of dollars in new currency after the 2008 credit crash, all while keeping inflation under control (sort of). The problem is that this system of stowing dollars overseas only lasts so long and eventually the consequences of overprinting come home to roost.Continue reading“Unification Of CBDCs? The End Of The Dollar System Is Near, by Brandon Smith”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at the reported spread of an Avian Influenza strain detected in cow milk.

WHO Demonizes America’s Cattle Herds for ‘Bird Flu’

By way of the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this, over at SLAY: WHO Demonizes America’s Cattle Herds, Claims ‘Bird Flu’ Could Spread to Cows Outside U.S.

The Rise of the “Lifestyle Prepper”

Over at The Gateway Pundit: The Rise of the “Lifestyle Prepper”. The article begins:

“They’ve been called “casual survivalists” and “prepper-lite.” Now, a phrase has started popping up around the preparedness industry highlighting the rise of the “Lifestyle Prepper,” particularly in American cities. Unlike “Doomsday Preppers,” those who can be classified as lifestyle preppers aren’t building bunkers or living off-grid. They don’t can their leftovers for long-term storage and they probably don’t own a freeze dryer. But they’re concerned about potential future emergency scenarios and they do not trust government agencies to do more than give them beans and rice during sustained supply chain disruptions.”

Flamethrower-Equipped Robot Dog

Reader C.H. sent us this: Watch: Fire-breathing robot dog that can torch anything in its path.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 1, 2024

On May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building in New York City officially opened. For four decades it was the tallest building in the world, and it is considered a U.S. landmark.

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On May 1, 2004, The European Union was enlarged to include the new member states of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia

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Today we present a product review and field test by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are in need of entries for Round 112 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 112 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

NightBuddy 230° LED Headlamp, by Thomas Christianson

The NightBuddy 230° LED headlamp uses an LED lightbar that bends around the forehead at the front of the lamp. This provides an even flood of illumination that is excellent for working outdoors in the dark. It is reliable, lightweight, compact, rechargeable, water-resistant, and easy to use.

Battery life is somewhat less than advertised. I must also admit to being somewhat disgruntled by the fact that it is made in China. I feel that NightBuddy Customer Support was not 100% forthright when I inquired about its place of manufacture.

The NightBuddy cost $34.95 from www.nightbuddy.com at the time of this writing.Continue reading“NightBuddy 230° LED Headlamp, by Thomas Christianson”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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An American came back from Europe with a $143,000 phone bill after failing to set up international roaming.

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Reader J.R.G. wrote:

“I read the recent review by Mr. Christianson. I own the same knife model that was reviewed.  I was attracted to it by its leaf-bladed resemblance to the various knives manufactured by Grohmann knife line. And I too  have done business with L.T. Wright in the past, via their old company Blind Horse Knives.  I have nothing but good to say about them.  I wonder if the JRE knife sheaths are manufactured by Amish craftsmen.  Whoever they are, they do a fine job.

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‘That Was a First’: Zebras Run Wild After Escaping Trailer in Washington State.

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Reader C.B. mentioned this MSN article: How to Escape Your Car If the Electronic Door Handle Fails.
Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”